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Japanese chess champs come to Vancouver

published by asingh on Tue, 05/20/2014 - 16:35

Vancouver will host a national shogi championship, also know as Japanese chess, in June 2014 – the first such tournament in six years.The winner of the 2014Canadian Shogi Championship will go on to represent Canada at the 2014 International Shogi Forum in Japan in December 2014, where they will square off against the best shogi competition from around the world.

For the first time in the tournament’s history, the 2014 Canadian Shogi Championship will be played online, eliminating the travel barriers normally associated with competing in a national tournament in a country as large as Canada. The competition will be hosted by 81Dojo, a shogi website that has more than 20,000 registered users from 85 countries. Everyone with Canadian citizenship is eligible to participate.

Shogi is a variant of chess, and was first played in its current form during the 16th century. The main difference between shogi and Western chess is shogi’s “drop rule,” in which captured pieces can be brought back into play under the captor’s control. Additional differences between the games include several unique pieces used in shogi, and that most shogi pieces are able to transform into a more powerful roles.

The format of the 2014 Canadian Shogi Championship will begin with a round-robin stage held between June 7-15, followed by the final match on Sunday, June 22.The deadline to register for the tournament is Friday, May 30, and registration is free. To learn more, visit